Unaccustomed to her father, 9-month old Averly Gill reaches for her mother Miranda, mother as Tech Sargeant Andy Gill gets poked in the face. Gill was one of more than 175 airmen of the 934th Airlift Wing, Air Force Reserve who returned home to Minnesota from service in Southwest Asia, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020. With four sick boys, ages 14, 11, 9 and 5 at home in Rockford, Mn., Miranda says "I'm really excited for him to come home and help me with sick kids!" (Scott Takushi / Pioneer Press)

More than 175 airmen of the 934th Airlift Wing, Air Force Reserve deplane from three C-130 Hercules aircraft and head for their waiting families at MSP International Airport Air Reserve Station, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020. The reservist had initially deployed to Southwest Asia on September 8, 2019. (Scott Takushi / Pioneer Press)

Rosee Egan, 2, of Eau Claire waves the flag as she waits atop her grandpa John Bentz's shoulders for the return of her father Kyle, a hydraulic mechanic, as more than 175 airmen of the 934th Airlift Wing, Air Force Reserve returned home to Minnesota from service in Southwest Asia, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020. (Scott Takushi / Pioneer Press)

Rosee Egan, 2, helps decorate a sign for her dad, as her family waited for Kyle Egan and more than 175 airmen of the 934th Airlift Wing, Air Force Reserve to deplane from three C-130 Hercules aircraft at MSP International Airport Air Reserve Station, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020. The reservist had initially deployed to Southwest Asia on September 8, 2019. (Scott Takushi / Pioneer Press)

Ben Brogard, center, of Monticello holds his son Owen, age 4, as more than 175 airmen of the 934th Airlift Wing, Air Force Reserve returned home to Minnesota from service in Southwest Asia, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020. Three C-130 Hercules aircraft brought the reservists home to MSP International Airport Air Reserve Station. (Scott Takushi / Pioneer Press)

Andy Gill kisses his daughter's hand after being deployed for five months in Southeast Asia.

Three C-130 Hercules aircraft bring more than 175 airmen of the 934th Airlift Wing, Air Force Reserve home to MSP International Airport Air Reserve Station from service in Southwest Asia, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020. (Scott Takushi / Pioneer Press)

Nine-month-old Averly Gill was the only one of Tech Sgt. Andy Gill’s five children there to greet him when his plane landed Sunday after his deployment to Southwest Asia for the past five months.

However, Averly’s siblings — ages 5, 9, 11 and 14 and all home sick with a stomach bug — were in for the surprise of their lives when their mom, Miranda, and Averly returned home from the grocery store with dad in tow Sunday night.

Averly and her mother joined hundreds at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Air Reserve Station with flowers and signs to greet the more than 175 airmen from the Air Force Reserve’s 934th Airlift Wing who have been gone since Sept. 8.

Family and friends greeted the airmen with waving flags, flowers and signs, such as one attached to a stroller that said, “Out of our way, our Daddy is back today.”

The reunion was full of hugs and tears. As one woman put it, “It’s so happy-sad!”

Andy and Miranda Gill knew the sick children would be disappointed they couldn’t come to the airport to greet their dad, so they decided to cook up a surprise. Instead, she said she told them she was going to the grocery store.

When she returned to their Rockford home she planned to say she had forgotten popsicles.

Andy was going to walk in right behind her and say, “I heard you guys needed some popsicles,” Miranda said.

The family also left Andy’s Christmas stocking for him to empty, she said.

“The most important thing is that we get them back and they are safe,” she said.

But the extra parenting help isn’t going to hurt, she said.

“I’m so excited for him to come home and help with sick kids,” she said. “And he’s excited, too. He can’t wait to have dad duty.”

Shepard Daniels of Minneapolis was waiting with a bouquet for his girlfriend, Daphne, and he said there are more flowers and gifts at home, including a necklace, perfume and clothing. “She’s spoiled like that,” he said.

Plymouth residents Amanda Egan and her 2-year-old daughter, Rosee, were there with Amanda’s parents to greet her husband, Kyle Egan, who is a hydraulic mechanic.

She was going to whisk him home for a home-cooked meal and shower.

“I have a hot dish ready that he likes,” she said.

The group that returned was deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, Operation Freedom’s Sentinel and Operation Enduring Freedom.

Kristi Belcamino works as a weekend reporter at the Pioneer Press. Her first reporting job was at the White Bear Press. After working as a police reporter at the Contra Costa Times in the San Francisco Bay Area, she moved back to Minnesota. She has worked at the Pioneer Press since 2013.

As you comment, please be respectful of other commenters and other viewpoints. Our goal with article comments is to provide a space for civil, informative and constructive conversations. We reserve the right to remove any comment we deem to be defamatory, rude, insulting to others, hateful, off-topic or reckless to the community. See our full terms of use here.

More in News

The St. Paul City Council has rejected an appeal submitted by residents in the West Seventh neighborhood against a mixed-use project that would replace Bonfe's Auto Service. Northland Real Estate and the Ackerberg Group have proposed a seven-story building up to 85 feet tall, or 10 feet taller than normally allowed. With retail space and up to 200 apartments, the...

The damage caused by looters and rioters this past week has left a charred scar on St. Paul’s Midway neighborhood. Dozens of businesses were devastated along the popular strip and many more were damaged elsewhere in the east metro. According to the reports from local chambers of commerce and others, here is a list of burned out, looted and damaged...

The Holy Land grocery, butcher shop and deli has been kicked out of the Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis after past racist social media posts by the CEO's daughter, an employee, surfaced. The Lake Street market posted on Facebook Thursday afternoon that it was "deeply offended and saddened" by the posts that denigrated black people made "a number of years ago"...

Target announced Friday that it will invest $10 million to support groups working toward social justice and provide ongoing resources to rebuilding and recovery efforts in the Twin Cities. In its news release, the Minneapolis-based company said that along with supporting its long-standing partners, such as the National Urban League and the African American Leadership Forum, it will also partner with...

Mussie Embaye was protesting the killing of George Floyd on Saturday night when his business on University Avenue in St. Paul was broken into and looted. He returned to Go Get It Tobacco on Sunday morning to survey the damage, wandering around the destruction of the tobacco shop he worked so hard to open a mere 11 months ago. The...